June 2026: Podium Gold. Stamp Act Coffee

Country: Kenya
Varietals: SL28 & Ruiru 11
Process: Washed
Producer: Mwendi Wega
Elevation: 1,800 MASL
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit, burnt sugar, berries

Your coffee:

The Stamp Act team first visited Mwendi Wega in 2016, when Stamp Act Coffee was just a twinkle in their eye. The coffee was incredible then as it is now, which is no doubt due to the efforts of their experienced mill manager, James Mumane, and their tight-knit membership group. This fresh crop continues to shine every season and is hands down one of Stamp Act's favorite coffees over the last five years.

In the hopes of creating more transparency for their community, a group of 42 farmers outside the city of Kerugoya in the region of Kirinyaga decided to pull their collective resources together and build a washing station with hope to better support each other. When the Stamp Act team first visited Mwendi Wega, James Mumane walked them through their meticulously clean and beautiful, baby blue washing mill, telling them the story of their name, Mwendi Wega. James mentioned the name came from the farmers group smiling with "each other" as they built the mill. To James, Mwendi Wega means, people who like to smile with each other

Your roaster:

Stamp Act believes that the notion of coffee being a community builder is more relevant today than ever. Whether you’re from the beaches of Miami, the Fort Worth stockyards or America’s heartlands, you probably love coffee, or are at least surrounded by a ton of people who do. It brings neighbors together in cafés and circles workers up in the early mornings. It’s a common thread that reaches each part of this country no matter who you are or where you’ve come from.

Stamp Act Coffee was founded in 2018 by Andrew Kent. A Seattle local who’s spent time on all sides of the coffee industry: he worked, and lived, with coffee growers in Ethiopia, created a roasting company in Singapore and worked for years in Australia honing his skills on the perfect flat white.

Throughout his travels, Andrew's dream was simple: return to Seattle and introduce his overseas experience to the local coffee scene. “We import our green coffee thoughtfully, focusing on quality and building upon the relationships we’ve nurtured across the world. We roast a lighter profile with a love of espresso and milk-based drinks”. He describes his offerings as a range of "delicate and vibrant" single origins, along with seasonal blends that are meant to make you happy no matter how you take your coffee".